Oak Grove, Jackson County, Missouri

This article is about Oak Grove in Jackson/Lafayette Counties. For others, see Oak Grove, Missouri (disambiguation).

Oak Grove, Jackson County, Missouri
City
Location within Jackson County
Coordinates: 39°00′27″N94°07′41″W / 39.00750°N 94.12806°W / 39.00750; -94.12806
Country	United States
State	Missouri
County	Jackson
Area [1]
• Total	6.43 sq mi (16.65 km2)
• Land	6.41 sq mi (16.60 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2)
Elevation [2]	863 ft (263 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,157
• Density	1,272.34/sq mi (491.28/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
FIPS code	29-53624
GNIS feature ID	2395283 [2]
Website	www.cityofoakgrove.com

Oak Grove is a city in Jackson and Lafayette counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 8,157 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area.

History

A post office called Oak Grove has been in operation since 1840, ^[3] however the town was originally called Lickskillet. ^[4] The city was not platted until 1878. ^[5] It was named for a grove of oak trees near the original town site. ^[6]

2017 tornado

See also: Tornado outbreak of March 6–7, 2017

On March 6, 2017, just before 9:00 pm CDT (03:00 UTC), ^[7] a tornado touched down near the western edge of Oak Grove and tracked eastward across the city. 483 houses and 12 businesses were damaged, ^[8] particularly between 25th and Broadway Streets across the southern part of the city. A total of fifteen people suffered injuries, but remarkably there were no fatalities. ^[9] Communications were lost and power was knocked out to many areas. The National Weather Service rated the tornado EF3. ^[10] Missouri Governor Eric Greitens declared a state of emergency for the area, and traveled to Oak Grove on March 7, where he visited first responders and tornado victims. ^[11]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.19 square miles (16.03 km²), of which 6.17 square miles (15.98 km²) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km²) is water. ^[12]

Media

Print Media

Oak Grove has its own newspaper called "Focus on Oak Grove" the newspaper is owned by Spaar Publications LLC. Co-publishers are brothers, John and Joe Spaar. They also print the newspaper for the town of Odessa, that paper is called The Odessan. ^[13]

Board Games

In the early 1980s an edition of the Monopoly board game that was themed around the town. ^[14]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	208		—
1900	408		—
1910	641		57.1%
1920	634		−1.1%
1930	702		10.7%
1940	680		−3.1%
1950	761		11.9%
1960	1,100		44.5%
1970	2,025		84.1%
1980	4,067		100.8%
1990	4,565		12.2%
2000	5,535		21.2%
2010	7,795		40.8%
2020	8,157		4.6%
U.S. Decennial Census [15]

2010 census

As of the census ^[16] of 2010, there were 7,795 people, 2,791 households, and 2,068 families living in the city. The population density was 1,263.4 inhabitants per square mile (487.8/km²). There were 2,990 housing units at an average density of 484.6 per square mile (187.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.7% White, 1.1% African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.8% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.7% of the population.

There were 2,791 households, of which 44.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.9% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.16.

The median age in the city was 32.4 years. 30.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.3% were from 25 to 44; 20.4% were from 45 to 64; and 11.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2000 census

As of the census ^[17] of 2000, there were 5,535 people, 1,944 households, and 1,479 families living in the city. The population density was 1,140.3 inhabitants per square mile (440.3/km²). There were 2,016 housing units at an average density of 415.3 per square mile (160.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.07% White, 0.25% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 0.76% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.66% of the population.

There were 1,944 households, out of which 45.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.9% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the city the population was spread out, with 31.8% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $44,952, and the median income for a family was $49,136. Males had a median income of $35,644 versus $25,238 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,738. About 8.3% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Oak Grove R-VI School District operates one primary school, one elementary school, one middle school, and Oak Grove High School. ^[18]

Oak Grove has a public library, a branch of the Mid-Continent Public Library. ^[19]

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Oak Grove, Jackson County, Missouri
3. "Post Offices". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
4. Sharpe, Robert Q. and Nadine B. (1971). Highlights of Blue Springs History: For Bushwhacker Days 1971. Little Blue Press. p. 4.
5. "Jackson County Place Names, 1928–1945 (archived)". The State Historical Society of Missouri. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
6. Eaton, David Wolfe (1916). How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named. The State Historical Society of Missouri. pp.  178.
7. "'It sounded like a bomb': Tornado severely damages Oak Grove neighborhoods". kansascity. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
8. 41 Action News Staff (March 7, 2017). "Tornado damages hundreds of homes in Oak Grove, Missouri". KSHB. Associated Press. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
9. "Hundreds of homes damaged in tornado-laden Midwest storm". ABC News. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
10. "UPDATE: Preliminary EF-3 Oak Grove tornado leaves most damage Monday night". Missourinet. March 7, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
11. Houts, Megg (March 7, 2017). "Governor Greitens to Visit First Responders and Tornado Victims in Oak Grove". Governor Eric R. Greitens. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
12. "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 12, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
13. "The Odessan and Focus on Oak Grove". The Odessan and Focus on Oak Grove. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
14. "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
15. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
16. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved July 8, 2012.
17. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
18. "Schools". Oak Grove R-VI. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
19. "Locations". Mid-Continent Public Library. Retrieved March 17, 2018.

External links

• Official website
• Historic maps of Oak Grove in the Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection Archived July 23, 2013, at the Wayback Machine at the University of Missouri